Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings are back in the rumor mill, and the Montreal Canadiens angle just got real.
TVA Sports reporter Renaud Lavoie dropped a line this week that Habs fans can't ignore.
According to Lavoie, Montreal would have been ready to pursue Larkin already, if the center had simply been willing to approve the fit.
"If Larkin agreed to play for the Canadiens, he would be at the golf tournament today," Lavoie said.
Read that twice. Lavoie is suggesting the door was open on Montreal's side. Larkin just never walked through it.
Detroit confirmed Larkin requested a trade and handed over a short list of approved destinations. Montreal reportedly still isn't on it, even after people close to Larkin raised the idea over the summer.
That's the real story here. Kent Hughes didn't get told no by Detroit. He got told no by Larkin himself.
Why Larkin's $8.7 million cap hit complicates a deal
Larkin carries a cap hit of $8,700,000, tied for the highest cap number on Detroit's roster this season.
He's coming off 34 goals and 33 assists for 67 points in 74 games, with 14 power-play goals and nine game-winners mixed in.
Recent form only strengthens his case. Larkin has 11 points in his last 10 games, including nine points in his last five.
Slot him next to Nick Suzuki, who put up 101 points last season, and Montreal suddenly has a matchup problem for opposing coaches to solve at center ice.
Here's my one gripe with this whole storyline: fans keep treating Larkin as some kind of finishing piece. He's 30. Adding him means buying prime years and betting the decline doesn't show up early.
Detroit sits at 41-31-10 with a three-game losing streak and ranks 16th overall. Montreal finished 48-24-10, sixth overall, third in its division.
The two teams split their season series, with Detroit taking two of three meetings, including a 4-0 win at the Bell Centre in January.
So where does that leave the Canadiens? Circling a player who fits everything they need up the middle, except the one thing that actually matters. His signature.
Nothing here confirms Detroit and Montreal had a deal ready to sign. What it confirms is that Larkin, not the front offices, is the roadblock.
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Until that changes, Kent Hughes can keep making calls. He just can't make Larkin pick up the phone.
Should the Canadiens keep pursuing Dylan Larkin even though he hasn't approved Montreal?
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